The famous Mughal-era Dara Shikoh library is all set to get a facelift under the government’s
Adopt a Heritage project. For those who don’t know, Dara Shikoh was the eldest and the favourite son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and was believed to be the successor to the throne.
Dara Shikoh, just like his father, had a great interest in architecture. He had built a beautiful mansion near the Kashmiri Gate in Delhi, which had Dara Shikoh Library. This was the personal library of the prince. But today, the library is absolutely on the verge of dying. Set inside the Ambedkar University’s campus, the library was later converted into a museum by the Archeological Survey of India.
It is said that the library was used for various multiple purposes during the Mughal period. But after Dara Shikoh was killed by his stepbrother, Aurangzeb, during the throne battle, the library lost its importance. Today, though the library doesn’t have any books, it surely is of great historical importance and narrates the saga of a lost prince.
In order to restore the heritage property, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has signed an MoU with various government agencies under the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture and the Government of NCT of Delhi for the maintenance of the library.
Apparently, this is the 28th MoU that the Tourism Ministry has signed under the scheme since its introduction three years ago.
Under this MoU, the
Monument Mitras will make a plan to take up development, operations and maintenance of the building. Basic amenities like cleanliness, garbage bins, toilets, directional signage, drinking water, and galleries, among others would be taken care of by them.